On this the fifth day of my Gratitude Challenge I am grateful to live in the northeast section of these United States. Many are beginning to set into a fall-winter malaise due to plummeting temps and a lack of sunlight.
I relish wrapping up in wool, layering and cuddling by the fire. This you see is my favorite time of the year and I love it. Nature begins to slow down, unwind and get ready for her annual hibernation.
Tonight I am mentally and physically drained so I will just share the deep sense of gratitude I have for Election Day. Many before me have lost their lives to ensure that am able to cast a ballot in each eletion.
This is right I take seriously even when the candidate I am supporting doesn’t win.
Thank you to all the men and women who sacrificed so much for this right.
Sitting at my computer screen last May I came across an email that would lead to the adventure of a lifetime.
The email announced the opening of early registration for the Limelight Sessions, a retreat “all about encouraging you along your own path of self-discovery,” read the announcement from organizer Karen Walrond.
Karen Walrond, the creative guru behind the Limelight Retreats.
Excitement is an understatement for the feelings I experienced that day. Born under the zodiac sign Libra it is common for me to weigh the options before making a decision, and more times than not the decision is to forgo the activity. Conservative would be an accurate assessment in most instances. Not this time.
Over the last five years I have experienced the two most traumatizing events in my life – the loss of both my parents. Reconstructing my life after this has been challenging, and with the death of my Dad still very fresh I threw caution to the wind and registered for the Limelight Sessions.
Liming during the retreat
I’m not twenty, or thirty-something a time when you are more apt to live life a little on the edge, but I am a woman who seeks to live every day to its fullest. So over the next six months I finalized my plans to fly to Houston for my birthday week in October.
This journey was also a unique experience for me because I didn’t know anyone attending and while I had followed Karen’s Chookooloonks blog for a number of years I didn’t really know her either. I placed my decision in God’s hand realizing that all things come through him and he has a plan for us all.
The plan he had in place for me was AWESOME! I met women from all various parts of the U.S. with diverse jobs and experiences. Over the course of two days twenty-five pea chicks gathered and shared leaving as fine Peacocks ready to strut our stuff.
Ladies sharing and getting to know one another.
This post and the previous entries this week are only the beginning of my renewed commitment to this space and the journey that is my future. I hope you’ll join me and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Until we meet again I wish you peace and blessings!
As I work to complete thirty posts in just as many days I am also going to open myself up in a way I have never done in this space. There are many things in my life for which I am grateful but at the top of that list is my family.
Today I’m grateful for the time I was able to spend with my younger sister this weekend. We started with her daughter’s band performance at the Shaker Heights High football game on Saturday and concluded our time with the Cleveland Browns defeat of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today.
The latter experience was made possible by my niece. At this point in this post I’m experiencing a block because the simple act of speaking of myself in this space makes me uncomfortable.
That’s a good thing because I will now be forced to evaluate this experience and hopefully rectify it in future posts.
Not the greatest but this is a successful post, so NaBloPoMo is met for the second day in a row.
For writers November can be a very busy month. This month that leads into winter and the holiday season is also the time when those of us who count writer as our job, career or hobby challenge ourselves to complete a novel in 30 days (NaNoWriMo) or write a post each day (NaBloPoMo).
This year I am taking the latter challenge as well as attempting 30 Days of Gratitude. I will work on a novel as well, but I will not try to fool myself into completion by November 30th.
So one post down, and a little gratitude added in! The photo below is from my recent journey to Houston for the Limelight Retreat hosted by the awesome Karen Walrond, of Chookooloonks. Over the next 30 days I’ll share more photos and goodness from this visit.
I hope you will join me on this journey and offer your encouragement and feedback!
Shelley Shockley's Views from Collinwood 